Those That Tether

( Chapter 23 & 24) Those That Tether

Chapter 23

"Tell everyone to pack what little things they have. We're leaving." Yuda says calmy as he begins to storm out of the hut, but before he can, I firmly and quickly grab ahold to his shoulder.
"We agreed we'd talk about this remember?" I say.
"I'm pretty sure we're past that at this point, you know with the Purian Army approaching our nonexistent doorstep and all."

"What if he's bluffing?"

"Are you willing to risk it if he's not?" Yuda quickly responds

"Are YOU willing to risk running into God-knows what's out there? I snipe back.

Tensions rise as we glare at each other for what seems like forever. I sigh before asking for Malik and Akila's thoughts to break the tension.

"I want to fight." Akila says as she walks over to stand beside me. "Plus, with you guys' new powers, we could turn the tables on them, just like they did our ancestors, and didn't you hear what he said? He said he sensed more Tethers here! Somewhere in the village I suppose! We could lay traps and-
"AND what if they possess Tethers of their own, hmm? Just like Gorean?" Yuda says.
"I-"
"You don't care right? You don't care if a repeat of what happened 8 years ago happens again, do you?"

Akila begins to step forward closer to Yuda before I quickly put my arm infront of her, while shaking my head.

"I can't believe I'm saying this but... I'm with Yuda on this one." Malik says as he walks to Yuda's side. "We need to get stronger if we want to be able to protect anyone, and we can't do that if we're here, dead."

We've come to a standstill. Two on two. A decision needs to be made, and quickly.
I then realize there is one other person in the hut. I look over at May to see her silently sniffling.
"May."
She looks up at me teary-eyed.
"What about you? What do you want to do?" I ask.
"I-I-I...I don't want to see any of my friends get hurt or... die anymore." May says as glistening tears stream down her dirtied and bandaged face.

"I want... I want to..." She begins
"...run...far away from here." May finishes.

"Well, I guess it's settled then, majority rules." Yuda says as he subtly smirks at me, "Pack your bags and tell everyone to get into groups of 4, and meet me at the end of the stone wall."
Yuda storms out of the hut's flaps, leaving the air silent and cold, no one speaks a word, as we still process everything that just happened.
"Maybe..." I start "Maybe I am wrong. I mean if I wasn't messing with that thing to begin with, this wouldn't even be happening. And if I didn't provoke Gorean, maybe..."

I think of Akil, but my lips can't bring themselves to even utter his name.

"Gorean's dead." Akila starts as I turn to her silver eyes, puzzled "And because of that we CAN make this decision, don't you see that? And I'm pretty sure regardless of that "prism" they would've probably found out eventually anyway, better now we actually know they're coming this time, right?"

"Hmph, I suppose." I involuntarily crack a smile from Akila's attempt to make me feel better.

Malik begins to chime in as well, "Doesn't matter regardless. Whether we stay or run, we'll do what we've always done, survive."
"Because th-that's what we are, a-aint it?" May chimes in as well.
"Yeah... Survivors." I finish as I look down at May wiping her tear-soaked face, now full of determination and conviction.

"Alright alright, 'nough of the chummy crap, we got some grouping to do, let's go." Malik says as he walks out of the hut, followed by May and then finally Akila, but right before Akila exits the flap, she stands there holding the flap before turning around to stare directly at me. I can barely make out her facial expressions because of the bright orange-reddish hue of the sun setting behind her, involuntarily reminding me of the day everything burned. The Flames. They were that same hue.